Quest for the perfect cologne: Making scents of it all

By Margaret Murray

Spring time is in the air, which to the students at Santa Clara calls to mind the scent of Mission roses mixed with tanning oil and chlorine. As warm weather approaches, moods elevate and the student body becomes a twitter with thoughts of sun drenched days and the potential for love â€" or at least the chance to fraternize with the opposite sex on the deck of the Graham pool. Santa Clara's spring quarter is just sexy.

In the midst of this season, it is important to understand that all measures to ensure successful flirtation are critical. Gentlemen: finding a fantastic signature scent will thrust you straight on the fast track for luck with the ladies.

Around campus it was disturbing to find that many of you refrain from using cologne in your daily routine.

Freshman Joey Toboni attributes his success with attracting females to the scientific fact that his "pheromones mix well with the ladies on campus." However, not all of you are as fortunate as Joey.

Females like cleanliness, or at least the illusion of cleanliness, and smelling great is one way to achieve this. After all, even Napoleon was rumored to use eight quarts of violet cologne every month. If a short French dictator was doing it, so should you.

"People always remember you by your smell" says freshman Giovanni Minelli and according to his friends, this strategy works and helps him "get chicks."

For those of you who are concerned about cost, simply refrain from buying that 36-pack of Keystone Light for the next two weeks and you will have plenty of funds to purchase your very own bottle of cologne.

Just take freshman Casey Place's advice and do not use it excessively. She claims that "sometimes boys cake it on, but a little is okay."

Amateur users should choose something that is light and fresh. Allure by Chanel is a quality daytime fragrance that blends citrus, spices, wood, bergamot, sandalwood, amber, cedar, and jasmine. Masculine and invigorating with peppery notes, a 3.4 fl./oz. bottle can be found at Sephora for $45. Do not let the prices trouble you. These bottles last a long time â€" surely longer than your Keystone Light â€" and if used sparingly and tastefully, you will not be disappointed.

For those who of you who fancy yourselves "mature" males with excellent taste, Drakkar Noir by the classic French couturier Guy Laroche captures the essence of what makes men, manly. Inside this sleek black bottle, notes of verbena, lemon rind, coriander, lavender, juniper berry, sandalwood, patchouli (that's an East Indian shrubby mint for you imbeciles), and fir makes this tremendously corporeal fragrance enough to blow the socks off the sassiest of ice princesses. It can also be found at Sephora and is priced at $55 for a 3.4 fl./oz. bottle.

If James Bond were to choose a cologne, it would be L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme by Issey Miyake. If you don't have the BMW Z8, the tuxedo or the martini, treating yourself to this cologne is the next best thing. L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme is a warm, woody scent accented with spicy notes. Verbena, tangerine, cypress, yuzu zest, coriander, sage, geranium bourbon, blue water lily, nutmeg, saffron, cinnamon bark from ceylon, amber tobacco, vetiver, sandalwood, and musk all contribute to this fragrance's deliciousness. Although the 4.2 fl./oz bottle available at Sephora is slightly more expensive at $68, it is obviously a bit larger.

In an era of the "metrosexual" male, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the use of a bit of cologne and in fact will work to your advantage. Let us all salute Outkast, making this spring quarter's mantra "so fresh and so clean."